[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by loveforjeeps93

dad has put our plans for a SUV on hold and as a second car was needed

I am 6'1 and a have a bulky build which translates into a problem with the Polo because rear headroom and legroom are a scarce luxury.

it could never keep the enthusiast in me happy

For a second car, it's OK to make small compromises like legroom and headroom. You can always use your other car when entire family is travelling together. Use the Polo as a 3 seater - max legroom for you (driver's seat) and the front passenger seat adjusted so that there is equal legroom at LHS front & back.

Check Ford Ecosport or base Suzuki S-Cross too

[2000rpm]

Why dont you consider the Sunny Diesel? Has the space required for a 6 feet 1 inch guy, at the front and the rear. Plus with current discounts, the price will be ball park in the same range.

[sandeepmohan]

From your list of cars and requirements, the Hyundai is the no brainer choice. Top notch build, excellent ergonomics, segment best nvh, loaded with kit and excellent after sales support. Yes; you'll be lost in the crowd but it seems that you want something that is comfortable, reliable and trouble free.

[Epic]

You can also look at the Fiat Punto Evo 1.3 Multijet. Build quality similar to the Polo and around 100 bhp of power. Just like the Polo, you will enjoy the ride and handling of this car. But yes, after sales is a risk here.

Another option is also the Honda Jazz 1.5 i-DTECH with 100 bhp power. May not have the best ride and handling but has the power and oodles of space.

[Skyline_GT]

A base variant S-Cross would be an excellent choice. Considering the space requirements it could easily seat 4 even with the driver's seat pushed all the way back.
Fiat Avventura is also an option you should consider. It gives an overall better build quality and premium feel than it's competitor the Ecosport

[AYP]

Guys, I have booked the Baleno Delta petrol. The booking was done last week and the quoted waiting period is 16 weeks. The final OTR is coming out to 7.2L along with 15k accessories. During my series of test drives last weekend, I could not test drive the Figo and the Aspire. Since my budget is around 7L, I was keen on the Aspire Petrol and the Figo Diesel.

The Aspire petrol felt decent but it was the Figo Diesel which impressed me. While the engine was nowhere as explosive as the VW 1.5 TDI, the engine still felt very good to drive. The steering was a bit of disappointment (coming from the old Fiesta) however, it felt as good/bad as the Baleno. Overall, I was more than impressed with the car and the engine.

When the time came for negotiation, I was expecting there to be good discounts on the Figo. I was offered 21k discount on the Figo Trend TDCI, bringing its final OTR to 7.70L. This was after a good 5 minutes of discussion. If the SA could have brought the price down to 7.4-7.5L, I would have mostly sealed the deal. However, 7.7L would be too much of a stretch for me. Now, I know that I will make up for the price difference in 2-3 years(my yearly running will be 8-10K Kms), but Maruti brings with it peace of mind, better resale(inspite of the Figo being a diesel) and the Baleno brings with it much more features, more space, better looking interiors etc.

What do you think guys? Which car should I go for? I would like to hear your opinions based on these questions.

1. To the BHPians living in Mumbai/Navi Mumbai, do you think I can get a better deal? Any idea about a better deal going on?

2. What will be resale value of the Figo TDCI w.r.t. Baleno petrol? Since this is my first car, this factor is important to me. The higher resale might enable me to get myself a German turbo engine, God willing.

3. Maintenance cost of Figo diesel?

4. What do you guys think about the driving dynamics of the Baleno and the Figo? If we discount the engine, which car is better dynamically.

5. Any other points to consider?

I am looking to keep the car for around 5 years.

[loveforjeeps93]

Took my parents to check out the I-20, Polo and Figo. All three showrooms are on the same patch of road and within walking distance.
Checked out the I-20 first and walked out without a test drive.
Next, checked out the Polo and the family was sure the car had to be a VW. Might end up booking the Vento TDI Highline Plus which is being offered at mouth watering discounts upto INR 2L after an hour of negotiations. The Vento is being preferred now as it has more legroom and space compared to the Polo. Plus the sheer value at INR 12L is difficult to ignore

[Captain Haddock]

Dear Bhpians,

I currently have a Wagon R, Yamaha RX 100 and Bullet 500 in my stable. I am living in Kochi and occasionally I travel to Bangalore, Chennai and cities within Kerala like Trivandrum and Kozhikode. I have been using my Wagon R for all these trips. The lack of ABS and Airbags have been an area of concern. I would like to buy a car exclusively for these trips. My primary concern would be safety and drivability. The budget is around 6.5-7.5 lakhs onroad


Summarisation of what I have in my mind

Fuel- Petrol only. Running per annum would not exceed 8 thousand kilometres
Safety- ABS and Airbags would be mandatory
Service specifications- Hassle free road side assistance and reliability
Body style preferred- No SUV/ MUV etc, preferably a hatch back.

Potential petrol cars which comes to mind

1. Tata Bolt- Solid build and has passed NCAP (ZEST). The interior quality was great but the car had a lull in the initial two gears. The car has "OK" driving characteristics, perhaps I expected too much because it had a turbo charger. A possible candidate.

2. VW Polo Tread line- The interiors had quality but felt antique compared to the bolt. The car had good drivability though it felt rather harsh by VW standards. The 1.2 L engine was a 3 cylinder unit hence it's expected. The power was available at the bottom end which is always welcome but the weight of the car meant that the car's performance is not up to the mark but tolerable. The fact that I get ABS and Airbags and VW built quality inclines me towards it.

3. Tata Tiago- Better drivability than Bolt and Polo,liked the overall performance of the car. But worried about not having passed NCAP rating(Correct me if I am wrong) test.

4- Toyota Liva Petrol Base model- Yet to test drive

5-Maruti Baleno Base model- Yet to test drive

Option 4,5 needs some clarification as they appear to be very low on weight and it's impact on safety needs to be discussed.

Till around 5 years back I had the TATA ESTATE doing these highway runs. It was at the very fag end of it's life and offered mediocre performance, despite the below average performance it was very safe. Now, doing these trips with Wagon R makes me very uncomfortable because of the unsafe feeling I get when I travel these great distances. Bottom line is that the tolerable limit for performance is broader than that of safety.

I humbly request fellow Bhpians to counsel me in this regard. Feel free to suggest other cars also which I failed to notice.

[Doge]

Greetings,
My first suggestion after analyzing your requirements would be the Etios, it has fair performance and is one of the few crash tested cars in India, it or its sedan sibling scored a respectable 4 stars if I am not wrong. It is light and the body is flimsy but the safety ratings can't lie and it's the inside that matters. I hope the base one has ABS.
Polo is also not a bad contender either but the three pot is not the best performer but this is easily the most premium car on the list and very composed on the highway.
Also look at the Figo though the crash test was a tad disappointing.
Would also suggest to like at lightly used cars, you can get a car from a segment above and better highway manners.

[ampere]

If you are looking at the best petrol engine on a hatch, my take would be the K-Series. Swfit/Baleno/Ignis based on your taste. But if you take that equation, I think safety options come in big time. I would suggest the I20. Very well refined and 6 airbags. The other option is the Jazz. Polo TSI is an AT only option.

[govigov]

Ignis is also a good contender. You would be comfortable in that coming from a WagonR. Narrower cars are better for Kochi-Trivandrum-Calicut runs when compared to larger cars.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Captain Haddock

The budget is around 6.5-7.5 lakhs onroad

As a previous owner of WagonR myself, Baleno will do a great job; if you could extend your budget, I would've suggested to wait for SCross petrol in Sep & then take a call. I know you don't want SUV, but still, this is one car you will love more & more you drive it. This is just a point to keep at back of your mind.

Or increase your budget a little more, Baleno RS; if you don't mind the noise, that will be a highway muncher, fun to drive & gets you to destination faster than you think. Nexa takes care of customers slightly, very slightly better than Maruti, although Maruti takes their customers seriously than any other car company in India.

Something that's not discussed here since you only want Petrol probably, Ford Aspire is one great car that munches miles like mad. I've driven an Aspire considerably on SH & the car was planted, handled & was pure fund to drive. But that was Diesel. Ford servicing costs also have come down significantly than Maruti and this car fits perfectly to your budget as well. Figo & Aspire have same engines, but I haven't driven Figo, so cannot comment on it.

[Herbie98]

Bolt is a very good car to consider. In my opinion its an underrated car and sales didn't happen since, Tata dealers (as always) did their poor job of promoting / marketing the car.

Last month a good friend of mine bought the Bolt XMS (Diesel), Prior to purchase I and him test drove all the hatch-backs. The requirement was a safe & comfortable car for highway runs of one-way ~1000 kms.

The Bolt petrol 1.2 was still far better than the Maruti K-series 1.2 in terms of drive-ability. Maruti 1.2 was free revving and nice on open roads on flat out accelerations, but pottering around traffic, bad roads, speed-breakers the Maruti 1.2 engine has a weak low-end power. Felt irritating to keep changing gears. Whereas the Bolt 1.2 petrol is very drive-able and a relaxed performer. Climbing up on inclines also Bolt 1.2 did better than a Maruti 1.2, which had to be revved a lot with little clutch slipping.

We test drove the Tiago 1.2, even through the driveability was good, the 3 cylinder thrum and vibrations were there. The Bolt 1.2 is a 4 cylinder engine and feels more refined. While Tiago is better than its rivals, but in comparison with Bolt its a level lower in quality, size, refinement and NVH.

Bolt diesel 1.3 mjd feels more better than the 1.2 though. A big surprise to us was that this car uses Fiat's gear-box but the shift quality does not feel rubbery & notchy like in Punto. The gear slots smooth and precisely.

I was the caretaker of this Bolt (diesel) for a week while he had to travel out of Bangalore. I had driven the car a bit and below are my observations:
- Ride quality is very mature and rides like a big car.
- Ground clearance is very good.
- Due to the above two factors Bad roads and pot-holed roads of Bangalore are dismissed just like that.
- Noise insulation is top class.
- Build quality is very good, car feels sturdy and sheet metal used is heavy. I would prefer this car for highway runs.
- Stock Music system is one of the best that I have listened till now, the other one is the Ford.
- No turbo lag at all, Crawls at 2nd gear from stand-still speeds, Engine - gearbox combo is very smooth and refined. I felt 1.3 mjd is best tuned in this car.

Compared to Swift / Punto Diesels:
1) Bolt is slower in acceleration, but very linear acceleration. Faster than Punto, slower than Swift.
2) Bolt steering is smooth but feels lighter than the benchmark Punto. Steering response and crispness is superior to swift
3) Gearbox ratios are perfect and slotting is refined than a Swift / Punto


Bolt is a great hatchback for highways & long duration of travel -- reasons being excellent suspension, nice seats (with height adjust), pleasant & silent cabin and safe heavy car.

[jetti]

Originally Posted by Captain Haddock

The lack of ABS and Airbags have been an area of concern. I would like to buy a car exclusively for these trips. My primary concern would be safety and drivability. The budget is around 6.5-7.5 lakhs onroad ... I humbly request fellow Bhpians to counsel me in this regard. Feel free to suggest other cars also which I failed to notice.

Captain Haddock, apart from what other BHPians have suggested, you can also consider Figo/Aspire Petrol editions. These are overshadowed by their diesel counterparts, but we do have a few brilliant reviews of the petrols as well. Here's one: Aspire 1.2P Review and here's another: Figo 1.2P Review

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Captain Haddock

Summarisation of what I have in my mind

Fuel- Petrol only. Running per annum would not exceed 8 thousand kilometres
Safety- ABS and Airbags would be mandatory
Service specifications- Hassle free road side assistance and reliability
Body style preferred- No SUV/ MUV etc, preferably a hatch back.

Here's how I see it, no car will match your expectations 100% but one does come close :

- VW Polo - great car, terrible engine (1.2 petrol) no from me.

- Toyota Liva - Spacious car, good engine, small boot and average build, try closing the door and you'll know. No from me.

- Suzuki Baleno - Below average build, if anything is a fact it is this. Not suitable.

- Tata Tiago - Overrated car, it looks too small and priced quite high.. I suppose its simply for the styling. The 3 cyl petrol engine is never preferable.

- Tata Bolt - I'll admit to a good product when I see it, Bolt is one. The build quality is tremendous, the ride is very flat and mature and space is above average.. include spacious glass area and good ingress/egress and you've a winner, Bolt all the way.

It seems to me that you like the Polo so if that is true then you can go for it as well, but in terms of engine refinement and ride quality Bolt is ahead for sure. Polos do not have a flat ride over bad roads, they bounce and bob much more. Punto and Zest/Bolt have very very mature, European ride quality.